The Office: FAQ -- Frequently Asked Questions

Below is a list of questions, mostly coming from emails I've gotten. If you feel there's anything more you need to know, please don't hesitate to ask by emailing me at .

Animation Questions
What kind of training or level or education is required to be an animator?
Is there currently a large demand for animators? (are there many opportunities for people who wish to become animators?)
What other abilities (besides being able to draw) does a person need to be a GOOD animator??
What kind of technical skills are required? (ex: working with computers, etc.)
What recommendations do you have for students in terms of schooling, or other courses to take to help him/her on his/her way?
What does the average day of an animator consist of?
What do you like most about your job/animation?
What is the most rewarding thing about being an animator or animating?

Art and art supply questions
What is the purpose of different colored sketch pencils?
I know there are various versions of non-photo pencils, but I often see pencil color used to determine where shadows may lay and other color clues.

Web site questions
Wow, I love your artwork! Can you draw me something?
Do you do commissions?

Animation Questions

In my case, I didn't study animation. I've been drawing all my life, and studied in Business Administration, but got into the animation business because I knew someone who knew someone... you know the deal.
However, there are several types of degrees you can get in order to get into animation: There are several colleges in the United States, and some universities and cegeps in Canada. (cegep, in Quebec, is either a preparation school for 2 years between high school and university, or it's a technical degree that you can do instead of going for the "bigger" training in a university. Sheridan College in Ontario, the biggest and best animation program in Canada, is also a college that works like the cegeps in Quebec.)
What will get you work in animation is not your grades. It's your portfolio, your talent, and how much you work at it. Like I said, I've been drawing all my life, and I'm very prolific, so when I went to my more recent interviews for work I showed my sketchbooks, the three or four most recent ones, along with my portfolio of finished work. They want to see sketches -- to know HOW you draw. If you have a demo reel (an animation you did yourself or in school) then you can show that too. :)

Is there currently a large demand for animators? (are there many opportunities for people who wish to become animators?)

hmmmm... Because of the large number of animation schools that opened recently, there has been an overflow of animation graduates and not enough jobs for them all. Also, the last animated movies that came out didn't do well, and many large studios have either closed or transferred all their ressources to 3D animation. In any case, unless you're really dedicated and talented and hard working and willing to work loooong hours... well. I can't tell how the animation industry will be in a few years from now. I just know I've found a very profitable niche in storyboarding -- apparently there is a lack of Canadian storyboard artists. With good reason -- it's a really tough and demanding job. But I love it :)

What other abilities(besides being able to draw) does a person need to be a GOOD animator??

Like I said, dedication, being a hard working person, persistence, and patience. To have a flair for precision and detail. To be open minded and adaptable, and to not mind working on a care bears project if all you like to draw is dark evil zombies. *lol*
Oh yeah, and to be able to draw is not sufficient. You need to be able to draw other people's stuff, several styles, and fast. To be able to break down a drawing to be able to redo it yourself in that style. You need to know how things move, how things work, you need to be very observant and always willing to learn. You need to be able to adapt quickly.

What kind of technical skills are required? (ex: working with computers, etc.)

Depends what kind of animation! Everyone in the animation industry will agree with me that if you want to animate with computers, you better learn how to animate on paper first. The company that will hire you will teach you the program. Besides, software changes so fast that by the time you finish school learning Maya 3.0, you'll get to work and they'll have Maya 4.6 to work on. :P
Technical skills... Drawing, knowing how to use a photocopier (the photocopier is the animator's best friend ^_^), that's pretty much it. Computer animation will require you to know how to use a computer (duh).

What recommendations do you have for students in terms of schooling, or other courses to take to help him/her on his/her way?

LIFE DRAWING CLASSES RULE!!! Seriously, if you can get life drawing classes GET THEM. They help you understand so much about the human body, how it works, how it moves, where which part attaches to what part of the body... and understanding that will help you understand and create cartoon movements and posing.
Cinema classes can be useful, and all types of animation classes of course. Theatre and acting can help you get into the movement and acting of your animated characters; but mostly what I recommend is good old-fashioned observation. Look at things, analyse them, dissect them in the basic shapes and volumes in your mind. Spot the line of action in a person in movement. Put a movie on slow motion to catch every pose/frame of the motion. This is not schooling, but it will help nonetheless.

What does the average day of an animator consist of?

Again, depends of the job. Most studio staffers come in to work at their own time (as long as you do your hours and get the work done, they don't mind if you come in late), draw, draw some more, go to make photocopies to draw more, and then draw. :) If you're a cleanup artist, you get the rough designs from the designers and you've got to... clean them up. No better way to say it. If you're a designer, then you have to make up or invent locations, props and characters from the scripts, and since it's inventing, it's a question of being inspired. :P If you're an animation corrector, then you pick up a folder, fix the animation as required, and drop it off in the DONE pile; you pick up another folder and keep going. Working in animation corrections required the longest hours I've ever put into work, because the deadlines are often way too soon.
Often, when you work on storyboards or timing sheets (also called exposure sheets or X-sheets), you're working freelance. You have a certain amount of time to do the job, and you deliver it when it's done.

What do you like most about your job/animation?

It's the creation thing. I prefer storyboards most of all because it means I have to put the story in images. I choose the camera angles, I choose the acting, I choose the pacing. Of course, I stay within the script, but I'm still creating. I worked a lot on storyboard corrections, and my favorite parts where when I would have to redo a section myself. Again, creation.

What is the most rewarding thing about being an animator or animating?

When I sit in front of the television, and I see that show that I did come on, and I see my stuff in there, it just fills me with such joy and excitement... it's indescribable. I'm just thrilled every time. :)
Of course when someone I know calls me up after the show to yell "I saw your name in the credits!!!", it's another bonus! *lol*
I think another thing that I find rewarding is when I see people talking about a show I worked on, and hear them talk about how they like it, and oh yeah, that part was cool, and it's my part, that's just so awesome. I've always said, when I was young, that I wanted to be known. If not me, then I wanted the stuff that I did to be known. Heh, looks like I'm getting my wish!

Art and Art Supplies Questions

What is the purpose of different colored sketch pencils?

Colerase pencils are fun, and easy to draw with, and less messy than "normal" lead pencils. The reason I use different colors is because I love different colors, and sometimes my mood works with the colors of pencils I use, or rather some day I may try to draw with a blue pencil and my mind just isn't into it, so I pick up the purple one and inspiration comes more easily to me. Who knows how my brain works :)
Actually, Colerase pencils are widely used in animation as "rough" pencils, on top of which the clean up will be made. The blue ones are for the most part non-reproductive (they don't show when you photocopy them) so when clean up is done with a pencil instead of ink, well, the blue can be messy. :) Also, my scanner comes with a nifty option that allows me to filter out either red, green or blue when I scan in greyscale.

I know there are various versions of non-photo pencils, but I often see pencil color used to determine where shadows may lay and other color clues.

You're very right about that: in animation, the blue pencil is often used for its non-repro properties, but it's also used for Posing in indicating the order of a camera field movement (camera goes from here (black) to here (blue) and there(red), then zooms to there (back to black)). On cleaned up drawings, shadow and highlight lines will be traced in different colors, and the shaded/highlighted zones are colored, either on the front or the back of the animation drawing. The color used is not really important, unless it is specified by the production you're working on (highlights traced in blue pencil, and colored in yellow; shadows traced in red, and colored in brown or green is very common in japanese animation).

Web Site Questions

Wow, I love your artwork! Can you draw me something?

Um, thanks for the compliments, but I will only draw something for you if you are willing to pay, and if I am available. Please see below for information on commissions.

Do you do commissions?

I do. I am currently a freelance artist, illustrator, storyboard artist. I am currently working on a project which is planned to go to publication in March 2004. I am also looking for other work, and will be available to take commissions starting in mid-October 2003. For more information, please click on the Commissions link in the left side menu.